Preview BMW Munich Open: Zverev headlines home tournament, Shelton and Auger-Ailassime seek clay redemption

Everything ready for the start of the ATP 500 BMW Munich Open, which will feature home favourite Alexander Zverev (World No. 2) as the top seed. The two-time champion (2017, 2018) is the only top-10 player in the draw and will look to bounce back from a difficult spell in recent months—what better place to do it than at home, in a tournament he’s already won twice.

It’ll also be a chance for redemption for several seeds who suffered early exits at the Monte-Carlo Masters, including Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Ugo Humbert. The tournament also marks the return of Jakub Mensik, who plays for the first time since his breakthrough title at the Miami Open.

At least in terms of ranking, Alexander Zverev stands out as the top favourite. Alongside Ben Shelton (World No. 14), they are the only top-15 players in the draw. But while the American doesn’t seem entirely comfortable on slower surfaces, Zverev has produced some of his best results on clay—including four Masters 1000 titles and a Roland Garros final. Still, the German has won just two of his last five matches, with all defeats coming against players ranked outside the top 15.

The second seed Ben Shelton has one clay title to his name (in 2024) and is searching for his first clay-court win of the season, after losing in his Monte-Carlo debut to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He opens against a qualifier, which could help him find his rhythm early.

Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and fourth seed Ugo Humbert complete the list of favourites—two players whose games are heavily reliant on serve and usually fare better on faster courts. Both face tough clay-court specialists in their respective openers.

The Canadian will take on Mariano Navone, a player who thrives on clay and can handle long rallies from the baseline—something that already troubled Auger-Aliassime in his Monte-Carlo loss to Daniel Altmaier. On the other side, Humbert faces a big challenge in 2024 Rome Open runner-up Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean has had a tough year but sees Munich as a chance to reset, especially as he's under pressure to defend points to avoid a ranking drop.

Denis Shapovalov enters as the eighth seed. Though clay isn’t his best surface, he’s a player capable of performing well in any setting. He lost in the Monte-Carlo first round to Marcos Giron, showing serving issues and poor decision-making under pressure. Will this be a chance to rack up wins? He opens against Gael Monfils, in one of the blockbusters of the first round.

Alejandro Tabilo is another name to keep an eye on. The Chilean recently defeated Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, pulling off a surprise for the second year in a row—he also beat Djokovic at the 2024 Italian Open. Tabilo came into the tournament after a painful loss in Houston, where he squandered several match points against eventual champion Jenson Brooksby. Still, he’ll be highly motivated on a surface that suits him. After his recent win over Djokovic, Tabilo remains a wildcard—he could face Zverev in the second round.

The defending champion is Jan-Lennard Struff, ranked just World No. 51. In 2024, he won the title by defeating Auger-Aliassime (5th seed), Holger Rune (2nd), and Taylor Fritz (3rd)—all without dropping a set. It’s the perfect stage for Struff to rediscover his best form after a string of inconsistent results.